Garment handling

ABSTRACT

To prevent damage to buttons and like attachments on garments during operations such as dry-cleaning, there is disclosed a protective capsule having two hinged sections which may be fastened together to define a closed cavity around a button. There is also disclosed a releasable catch having a resilient snap action and being so configured as to reduce the possibility of accidental unfastening.

Waite States Wolny tet 11 1 1 Sept. 11, 1973 1 1 GARMENT HANDLING [76]Inventor: Andrew Blazej Marian Wolny, 44

Berryhedge Ln., Winshill, Burton-on-Trent, England [22] Filed: Apr. 17,1972 [21] Appl. No.: 244,733

206/15 511 1111.0 A441) 1/16 [58] Field of Search 24/113 R, 113 MP,

24/90.5, 119, 201 A; 206/1.5, 5 A; 15/268, 257 R; 51/265, 171; 292/91;68/235 R [56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,189,467 2/1940Jacobs 68/235 R 10/1969 Meier 24/119 12/1935 Manoogian 68/235 R PrimaryExaminer-Francis K. Zugel Assistant Examiner-Kenneth .1. DornerAttorney-Samuel Scrivener, Jr. et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT To prevent damage to buttons and like attachments ongarments during operations such as dry-cleaning, there is disclosed aprotective capsule having two hinged sections which may be fastenedtogether to define a closed cavity around a button. There is alsodisclosed a releasable catch having a resilient snap action and being soconfigured as to reduce the possibility of accidental unfastening.

5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PAn-gmmsm H915 SHEET 1 [IF 2 1 GARMENTHANDLING of such damage without requiring the removal and subsequentre-fitting of the attachments.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a protective capsuleadapted to prevent damage to buttons or like attachment on garmentsduring garmenthandling operations has an interior chamber dimensioned toreceive a button or like attachment, at least one aperture positioned toreceive the means attaching the button or like attachment to thegarment, and means to releasably close the capsule so as to encase thebutton or like attachment.

A protective capsule constructed in accordance with the invention may beof any convenient shape and is preferably formed of a non-rigid plasticsmaterial, particularly a thermoplastic material. The capsule may befonned in two separate sections or in two sections which are connectedtogether by a hinge portion. Recesses are formed in the edges of thesections and constitute the aperture or apertures when the capsule isclosed. V r

In one embodiment of the invention, mating edges of the two sections areable to be releasably secured together, conveniently by engagement of abead formed along one edge within a complementary slot or channel formedin the opposite edge- I According to a second aspect of the presentinvention, a catch for releasably holding two members in engagementcomprises a tab connected to the first of the members by an elasticallydeformable link and an abutment connected to thesecond member, theabutment having a recess for receiving at least part of the tab andhaving means projecting therefrom which, when said members are inengagement, necessitate elastic deformation of said link to engage thetab in the recess and hold the two members in engagement.

Preferably, the free end of the tab is in intimate contact with thesurface of thes'econd member when the tab is engaged in therccess.

The catch is particularly useful in conjunction with a protectivecapsule of the invention, the elasticlinkage reducing the possibility ofopening of the capsule during operations in which the capsule will besubject to agitation. r j I j The invention is further described, bywayof exam-.

ple, with reference to the accompanying drawings, iin

which! v l FIGS. 1 to 4 show four capsules constructed in accordancewith the present invention,

FIGS. 5 to 7 are fragmentary sections through a capsule showing threeforms of releasable closing means,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the capsule of FIG. 1 in an openposition being fitted around a button which is shown in phantom,

FIG. 9 shows a modified capsule open,

FIG. [0 shows the capsule of FIG. 9 closed,

FIG. 11 is a section on an enlarged scale showing mating edges of thetwocapsule sections, and

FIG. '12 shows a catch in its open and closed positions.

The capsules shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are conveniently formed of anon-rigid plastics material, typically a theron the medialline.Preferably the capsules are only partially dividedso that a thin,flexible hinge portion remains.

Mating edges of the two walled sections of the capsules are providedwith releasable closing means which, as is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7,comprise a bead l4 engageablein a channel 16. The beads 14 and channelsmay extend around the entire extent of the mating edges as is shown inFIG. 8 or may be shorter. Similarly, the closing means may comprise oneor more projections or pegs engageable in bores.

FIG. 8 shows the capsule of FIG. 1 being positioned around a button 18.The aperture 12 which allows the cotton (not shown) joining the button12 to a garment (not shown) to pass through the capsule may besymmetrically disposed about the two mating edges as is shown in FIG. 1or may be formed wholly within one part of the capsule.

The two parts of the capsule are snapped together to enclose the button18 which is thereby protected from damage during a subsequent garmenthandling operation such as dry cleaning.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, a releasable catch isprovided to hold the two parts of the capsule together. The catchcomprisesa tab 20 joinedto one of the parts of the capsule by a link 22which is elastically deformable, and an abutment 24 which has a centralopening 26 to receive the link 22 and a generally V-shaped: recess 28 toreceive an edge of the tab 20. When the two wall sections of the capsuleare brought together and the catch fastened, the tab' 20 must be firmlypressed over projections between the recess 28 and the end of theabutment. The link 22 is thereby elastically extended and the tab 20snaps into the recess.

As is clear from FIG. 12, the edge of the tab 20 which engages in therecess 28 is chamfered so that the said edge cooperates with the recess28 to urge the tab 20 against-the wall of the capsule. Thus the catch isunlikely to unfasten during an operation such as drycleaning. The catchmay be ,unfastened manually by lifting the free end of the tab away fromthe adjacent wall of the capsule whereby the tab is rocked about theprojectionson' the abutment 24 and the chamfered edge is lifted out ofthe recess 28.

, FIG. 11 shows that the mating edgesof the twoparts of the capsuleprovide a seal against the ingress of,.for example, cleaning fluids. Onemating edge is'formed with a channel 30 and the other mating edge isformed with a rib 32 having an inclined end wall.

Upstanding extensions 34 on the two walled sections of the capsulefacilitate opening of the capsule when the catch is released.

In each of the embodiments illustrated, the entire capsule may be formedintegrally from a plastics material such aspolyethylene orpolypropylene. Conveniently the capsules are injection-moulded.

I claim:

l. A protective capsule adapted to prevent damage to buttons or likeattachments on garments during garment handling operations, comprisingtwo co-operating wall sections having mating edges and defining betweenthem a chamber dimensioned and configured to receive a button, a hingedconnection between said wall sections for hinging movement of saidwalled sections between an open position and a closed position in whichsaid mating edges are in intimate contact with one another, sealingmeans spaced along said mating edges to provide a fluid seal when saidwall sections are in closed position, a single opening in said capsulepositioned and dimensioned to receive means attaching said button tosaid garment and defined by a recess formed in at least one of saidmating edges, and a snapclosure for releasably retaining said wallsections in said closed position, whereby when said capsule is in saidclosed position over a button to be protected with said means attachingsaid button to said garment occupying said single opening, said capsuleis substantially sealed against fluid leakage into said chamber 2. Acapsule according to claim 1, wherein said snapclosure is spaced alongsaid mating edges.

3. A capsule according to claim 1 wherein said snapclosure is providedon said walled sections at regions thereon remote from said hingedconnection.

4. A capsule according to claim 3, wherein said snapclosure is a catchcomprising a tab, an elastically deformable link between said tab andthe first of said walled sections and an abutment connected to thesecond of said wall members, said abutment having a recess for receivingat least part of said tab and having means projecting therefrom which,when said capsule is closed, necessitate elastic deformation of saidlink to engage said tab in said recess and hold said wall sections insaid closed position.

5. A capsule according to claim 4, wherein, when said tab is engaged insaid recess, an end portion of said tab remote from said link is urgedinto intimate contact with said second wall section whereby to preventaccidental unfastening of said catch.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE CORRECTION Patent No. 3757388Dated September 11, 1973 I l fl Andrew Blazej Marian Wolny It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 21, 1971 Great Britain p10,383/71 Signed and sealed this 2nd day of July 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETHCER,JR C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Offic r Commissioner ofPatents U45. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1959 0-366334 FORM PO-1USCOMM-DC 60376-P69

1. A protective capsule adapted to prevent damage to buttons or likeattachments on garments during garment handling operations, comprisingtwo co-operating wall sections having mating edges and defining betweenthem a chamber dimensioned and configured to receive a button, a hingedconnection between said wall sections for hinging movement of saidwalled sections between an open position and a closed position in whichsaid mating edges are in intimate contact with one another, sealingmeans spaced along said mating edges to provide a fluid seal when saidwall sections are in closed position, a single opening in said capsulepositioned and dimensioned to receive means attaching said button tosaid garment and defined by a recess formed in at least one of saidmating edges, and a snap-closure for releasAbly retaining said wallsections in said closed position, whereby when said capsule is in saidclosed position over a button to be protected with said means attachingsaid button to said garment occupying said single opening, said capsuleis substantially sealed against fluid leakage into said chamber
 2. Acapsule according to claim 1, wherein said snap-closure is spaced alongsaid mating edges.
 3. A capsule according to claim 1 wherein saidsnap-closure is provided on said walled sections at regions thereonremote from said hinged connection.
 4. A capsule according to claim 3,wherein said snap-closure is a catch comprising a tab, an elasticallydeformable link between said tab and the first of said walled sectionsand an abutment connected to the second of said wall members, saidabutment having a recess for receiving at least part of said tab andhaving means projecting therefrom which, when said capsule is closed,necessitate elastic deformation of said link to engage said tab in saidrecess and hold said wall sections in said closed position.
 5. A capsuleaccording to claim 4, wherein, when said tab is engaged in said recess,an end portion of said tab remote from said link is urged into intimatecontact with said second wall section whereby to prevent accidentalunfastening of said catch.